#Solutions Improving knowledge of estuaries affected by climate change
Update 2015-11-30BETTER ANTICIPATING CHANGES IN ESTUARIES
French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) Initiative
The Loire Estuary
Adaptation
Estuaries, where land and sea merge, are fragile areas that are subject to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and changing river flows. These effects result in increased flood risks, greater salt water pollution, sediment removal and morphological changes in the estuary.
This project focused on simulating the future of salt marshes. According to the amounts of sediment transported by the rivers, sedimentation will occur in the marshes to varying extents. If this sedimentation is significant enough, the marshes will rise as much as the sea level. If it is too low, flooding will occur more frequently, forcing changes in use, and could in some cases lead to the disappearance of these environments that are essential to biodiversity.